As a Christian, do you ever feel God calling you to do something and you push it off, thinking it is a strange idea or perhaps you are scared of what people may think? The following are true stories of people who pushed past the fear of failure and fear of man and stepped out in faith.

There is a local woman who has recently started her own business. God put an idea on her heart, and when the opportunity presented itself she stepped out in faith, pushing past her fears to do what God called her to do. “Faith over fear” has become the motto of her business and she has had tremendous success with it so far. She did what she felt God called her to do and trusted Him to work out all the details, which He has. She also has opened up opportunities for women to work for her and earn some extra money for their families from the comfort of their own homes. But what if she would have had more fear than faith? She would have missed out on the wonderful opportunity that God had for her.

The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch is a great biblical example of someone following what the Spirit called him to do. First of all, an angel of the Lord told him to go to the desert between Jerusalem and Gaza. Acts 8:27-31 says, “So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near and overtake this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.”

Philip went on to explain Jesus to this man and got him born again and baptized. Now what if Philip would have argued with God, saying that it was too weird for him to run up to a chariot of a complete stranger? Praise God Philip didn’t argue or hesitate but boldly stepped out in faith to what the Spirit called him to do. And the result? He got a man born again and gave him an understanding of the truth that he could now pass along to others, in turn probably getting many more born again as well.

I have a friend from church who recently stepped out in our church service with a prophecy she received from the Lord (yes, prophecy is a gift of the spirit and is still for today). She got a word from God about a certain couple that was visiting our church service, a couple she didn’t know at all. The Holy Spirit told her that they needed encouraged and recognized for their many years of service in ministry. They called this couple forward, and people prayed and prophesized over them, showering them with the love of God and His tender words of encouragement. You could see how deeply touched this couple was as the tears flowed from their eyes and their heads shook in amazement.

The husband later wrote a powerful letter to our church, saying how much that service impacted them because not only had the wife just lost her mother a few days earlier, but also they had been in ministry for many years and had some hurtful experiences through it. He said they would never forget that church service because they were just blown away by the love God showed them through it.

I am so glad my friend took the risk and stepped out. She didn’t know their situation, but God knew, spoke it to her, and she obeyed, despite how ludicrous it may have seemed in the natural. Just by following what God told her to do she was able to be used by God to make a lasting impact on some of God’s beloved children.

Has God put something on your heart that you have been hesitant to do out of fear? No matter how big, small, or crazy it may sound, if you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you, I want to encourage you to let go of your fears and go for it. Sure, you may fail at times, but don’t let that prevent you from stepping out. It’s better to try and fail than to never try at all. Besides, you never know what incredible blessings God may have in store for you or for others through you.